Seeing your church double in three to five years is doable. You simply need to focus on three timeless principles.
First, know that you cannot do this by yourself. You need a ministry team. Each team member must be willing to do his or her part (which must be clearly spelled out in detailed job descriptions). While there are many ministries a church can have, experience has shown the following to be critical: Discipleship-focused: Men, Ladies, Youth, Music, New Converts, Prayer. Evangelism-focused: Sunday School, Bus Ministry, Home Bible Study, Guest Follow-up, Outreach, and Public Relations. In small churches, finding 12 individuals to fill these positions is challenging and often requires innovation. But with a good management system a pastor can use marginally gifted individuals and still see good success. Good management needs four steps: an annual planning retreat, each ministry handing in a 1-year plan, monthly planning meetings, and a weekly tag-in. Ongoing leadership training is essential to turn marginal leaders into exceptional leaders.
Second, you need key evangelism ministries to sow the Gospel consistently. The best, in my opinion, are: Sunday School, Bus or Van Ministry, Guest Follow-up, Home Bible Study, Constant Contact Consciousness, and targeted Public Relations.
Third, you need to work hard to keep your new converts. This is best done by (1) Instruction (first week counseling, new converts class, home Bible study), (2) Fellowship (assigned care partner, monthly fellowship assignments, regular new convert outings), (3) Involvement (discover giftedness, assign involvement, labor under mentor).
All three principles are explained in more detail in the Total Church Growth materials. You can do this. 2015 can be your best year yet! Call 1-800-800-0247 to order.
